Education reporter

Weather forecasters said Monday that conditions are ripe for tornado formation as a “very dynamic situation” rolls across Georgia.

National Weather Service forecasters in the NWS Peachtree City station also issued a flood warning for much of the state, with rainfall totals up to 4 inches expected across north Georgia and 1 to 2 inches in Central Georgia through Wednesday.

“It’s going to be a busy couple of days,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Sena.

Because rainfall amounts can vary widely from place to place, isolated flash flooding is possible in north Georgia in areas where storms bring repeated heavy downpours to the same area.

“The rain could be the biggest problem,” said John Knox, a climate scientist and tornado researcher at the University of Georgia.

In many years, flooding is a higher threat to human life than tornadoes, he said.

Both Sena and Knox used the same phrase to warn drivers: “Turn around, don’t drown,” when you see water flowing across a road.

It just takes 6 inches or so of water to carry away an automobile, and you don’t know whether some of the road may have already been swept away beneath that running water, Sena said.

The warning comes as a massive storm system moves across the southern part of the nation.

The big system spawned tornadoes Sunday in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Iowa. Tornadoes killed at least 16 people in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma.

Up until then, this had been a quiet year for severe weather, Knox said. But the Arkansas tornado might be the strongest one to date in 2014, he said.

Strong storms are possible in Georgia today, too, according to the forecasters.

Two waves of thunderstorms will move through north Georgia, including the Athens area, according to the NWS forecast updated Monday afternoon.

There could be a lull in the big storm system when the first wave moved through the Athens and Atlanta area late Monday and early Tuesday, according to the forecasters. But indications are that the second wave, moving through Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening, could still be very damaging, with high winds, heavy rain and large hail.

“Severe parameters remain very high with this wave, and again, severe storms are expected with this wave,” according to the forecast.

Chances of tornado formation are higher north and west of Athens, but anything is possible, Sena said.

Heavy rains and the possibility of isolated severe weather will continue through Wednesday, according to the forecast.

People should identify safe areas in their homes, such as basements, in advance of possible severe weather. University of Georgia climate scientist David Stooksbury recommends wearing a bicycle or other kind of helmet, because many of the injuries people suffer during tornadoes are head wounds.